Decided to spoil my betta and got him a 5 gallon tank. Some questions?

Amour here with more questions, lol.

We decided to get a much better tank for Ninja Dude, so now he's spoiled rotten with a five gallon tank all to himself.

My questions now are, we want to get him some live plants because now we have a really nice filter and a pretty decent sized tank that could accommodate all the mess that live plants make... so which plants should we get him and how many? Also, should we get one of those fishies that suck on the sides and bottom to take the algae out of the water?

We went to Petco but they didn't know anything there, as usual.

Also, we want to get a good water tester, but Petco didn't have very good ones. Mostly just strips or ones that only tested one thing. So what's a good one to get?

On a side note, at Petco I saw a very sad thing today. A red betta in one of the tanks (not in the little jar) laying on the bottom, obviously having dropsy. He was pretty bloated and had the pinecone scales. He wasn't as bad as many pictures I've seen on the internet, but it was still obvious he had it. I'd never seen it in person before on a live fish. But now I definitely know what to look for. Poor little guy. Broke my heart to see a fish on it's last legs, so to speak. I kinda wanted to rescue it just to give it a happy life before he died. But I don't have that kind of money to invest into a dying fish. D:

I use the API Master Test kit. I do all my shopping here: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com they have a much better selection of items than any pet store, they offer very reasonable flat rate shipping, and their prices are easily $10-$20 lower than any pet store.

Live plants really help with the water quality much, much more than they harm it since they feed on the waste produced by the fish. It's important to have a fluorescent light, and you may also consider getting a supplement like Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive. Good low light plants include anubias, java fern, java moss, hornwort, and if you're feeling lucky, you might try some species of cryptocoryne. Be aware that many pet stores will try to sell non-aquatic plants as if they were aquatic--these plants cannot survive if they are submerged and will create a huge mess in your tank. Common culprits to watch out for are ribbon plant (lucky bamboo), purple waffle, mondo grass, brazilian sword (peace lily), bamboo, and really anything that you think might be a houseplant.

And definitely do not get any kind of algae eating fish. Plecos can grow to be exceedingly large, and even small varieties produce way too much waste to be manageable in such a small aquarium. Otoclinus are not suited for this tank either--they are extremely sensitive and seldom will eat prepared foods because they are wild caught, they are also social and need to be kept in groups. If you get any kind of algae eating tankmate, I suggest a nerite snail. They're attractive, efficient algae eaters, and they have a lot of trouble reproducing in fresh water, so they will not take over your tank.

Also, if you see a fish suffering in a pet store, it's a good idea to complain to the management. Even if they don't let you have the fish for free, they can at least euthanize it so it doesn't have to suffer anymore.

Well, Anubias, Amazon Swords, and Javaferns/moss are quite popular here. =] I just got a small anubias and it's looks really cute in my 5 gal! =3 Can't wait to go to the petsmart tomorrow to pick up some swords! =3

Well, Anubias, Amazon Swords, and Javaferns/moss are quite popular here. =] I just got a small anubias and it's looks really cute in my 5 gal! =3 Can't wait to go to the petsmart tomorrow to pick up some swords! =3

Also take a look at dwarf lilies if you can find them! =]

Hehe I got the exact same 5 gallon kit you did from walmart. I took my other one back and this one was only five dollars more. What a great buy!

We decided to get a much better tank for Ninja Dude, so now he's spoiled rotten with a five gallon tank all to himself.

Watch out I thought I was spoiling mine too when I got a 5-gallon but before I knew it, I was buying 10-gallons

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Originally Posted by Amour

My questions now are, we want to get him some live plants because now we have a really nice filter and a pretty decent sized tank that could accommodate all the mess that live plants make... so which plants should we get him and how many?

We went to Petco but they didn't know anything there, as usual.

I got two aquatic plants from Petco: an Argentine Sword and an Amazon Sword... here's a pic of them planted in a 5-gallon:
^ So that's a 5 gallon with 1 large Amazon Sword from Petco (which got split into 3 parts) and 1 Argentine Sword, which is the smaller one in the center. The floating plant isn't from Petco (it's a water sprite from Aquabid).

The Petco Amazon Sword turned out to be a more generous portion than it looked in the container. It was the only one on the shelf though....the rest were umbrella plants, gold ribbons, etc. I think it was an ok deal for $5.

I wouldn't recommend getting an Argentine Sword unless you don't mind adding fertilizer tabs in the substrate (it feeds through its roots rather than leaves) and keep the aquarium temperature at 75-77 degrees (which is on the lower end of comfort for bettas). Mine will probably start wilting because I keep my tanks at 80F.

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Also, we want to get a good water tester, but Petco didn't have very good ones. Mostly just strips or ones that only tested one thing. So what's a good one to get?